Absorbent pad



June 14, 1932 w. c. HEITMEYER ABSORBENT PAD Filed Dec. 10. 1929 lib/aw? Wne-d C. Hair/Layer Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES WINIFRED G. HEITHEYER, 0F APPLE'ION, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOE, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MEETS, TO INTEBNATIONAI: CELLUCOTTON PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, I

PATENT orrica ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ABSOBBEN'I. PAD

Application filed December 10, 1929. "Serial No. 412,974.

This invention relates to absorbent pads or bandages in eneral, although having more particular re erence to sanitary napkins.

The main objects of the invention are to provide means in an absorbent pad whereby substantially the entire area thereof is caused to absorb fluid even though the fluid be applied to the pad at a localized point; to provide an elongated absorbent pad structure wherein the area of absorption is spread longitudinally of the pad from any locus of application of the absorbed fluid; to provide an absorbent pad of the character described .which is readily disintegrable in water; to

provide means which tend to spread the area of absorption 'interiorly of the pad, thereby tending to maintain the outer, top and bottom surfaces of the pad comparatively dr to provide an absorbent pad, mainly of t e sanitary na kin type, having means tending to prevent a sorption from spreading to the side edge portions of the pad, or in other words, tending to maintain said side edge portions dry; to provide a pad structure having the above described characteristics which can be cheaply and economically manufactured b automatic machinery; and in general, it is the object of my invention to pro-' vide an improved absorbent pad of the type referred to.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated an absorbent padof the sanitary napkin type in which a selected embodiment of my invention is incorporated.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan, certain parts being broken away to more clearly show the interior structure.

Fig. 2 is aperspective of a section of the means provided for control or directing the spreading of the area of a sorption, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, my improved absorbent pad comprises an absorbent pad body 5 which is enclosed in a gauze or similar textile wrapper 6.

The pad body 5 is preferably formed of a suitable absorbent wood pulp product such as crepe paper, a plurality of plies or layers of the na kin, absorption of fluid which is ap-- plied t ereto at any localized point. 4

To further facilitate the spreading of the area of absorption from any locus of application, I compress a plurality of the layers or plies of crepe paper, preferably an intermediate series of the layers as clearly shown at 7 in Fig. 3. lhis intermediate series of plies preferably is compressed over its entire area so that capillary tubes and planes are formed therebetween, whereby the said intermediate series of plies has, in its entirety, a normal tendency to spread or diffuse the area of absorption interiorly and longitudinally of the pad body faster than the area of diffusion would spread in the main pad body in the absence of such compressed layers. lihe said layers are further compressed to a higher degree along transversely spaced, longitudinally extending zones indicated at 8, thereby forming longitudinally extending, narrow zones having smaller tube formations which have a greater capillarity than the capillary tube formations in the balance of the compressed lies.

The intermediate series 0 layers 7 are thus provided with alternately arranged longitudinally extending zones of relatively high and low compression in which there is a diiferential capillary attraction. In other words, the zones of high compression will spread or conduct the absorbed fluid longitudinally of the pad faster than the elongated zones of lower compression. lhe zones of low compression will tend to draw fluid from the main pad body and to carry the fluid away from the locus of application with greater rapidity than the surrounding portions of the pad pro er. The said zones of low compression also feed the fluid to :8 the zones of high compression, which will obviously serve to even more quickly convey the fluid longitudinally of the pad, to portions of the main ad body which are comparatively dry, an which retain u to that 10 time, a high degree of absorbency. he comparatively dry parts of the pad body then operate to absorb the fluid from the intermediate compressed, absorption spreading layers.

The action of the narrow zones wh ch accelerate the spread of the area of absorption longitudinally of the pad maybe likened to that of strips of blotting paper which has the capacity of quickly absorbing fluid from another pa r and leading the absorbed fluid awa Earn the locus of ap lication. It may be-o rved that-the sprea g efiect is due to'a' positive conveying or leading action by reason of the capillary efl'ect proas vided, rather than by reason of a forcing or baflle eifect such as found in sanitary napkin-structures having an intermediate more or less impervious layer to prevent absorption from passing entirely through the nap- I9 kin from top to bottom.

As a practical matter, the intermediate compresedseries of crepe paper sheets may be formed by passin a series of superposed sheets through suita 1e rollers having a rib- 88 like structure which will serve to com ress -the'sheets as desired. The sheets may in the form of supply strips or rolls of any convenient width which may be subsequently fed between the desired layers of crepe ll) paper also in the form of supply strips or rolls, to form the sandwich efl'ect shown in Fig. 3, after which the sandwich structure may be divided into ads of the desired widths and lengths. us it will be a parent that the napkin structure may be 0 caply and economically manufactured by comparatively simple automatic machinery.

The intermediate compressed layers of plies are preferably somewhat shorter than the len of the pad body as shown so that "the en of the pad roper are not called upon to absorb fluid om the said interme diate layers, whereby the pad ends'are kept dry and are slight in bulk.

An absorbent pad structure such as above described is desirably made of a suitable wood pulp product such as, for instance, crepe paper because of the fact that such a productis readily disintegrable in water and 50 can therefore be disposed of through ordinary toilet facilities without danger of clog? ging the same. Obviously, other materials may also be used and treated in the manner above described to secure the advantages of spreading the area of absorption so as to utilize substantiall the full or the desired length of the absor ent pad, and I am aware that other changes in the above described structure and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which should therefore be determined by reference to the following a claims, the same being construed as broadly astpossible consistent with the state of the ar 7 I claim as my invention:

1. In an absorbent body,'means for controlling the direction in which absorption spreads from the locus of application of the a sorbed fluid, comprising a plurality of co-planar parts in which the body is compressed so as to increase the capillarity of said parts relative to the capillarity of the balance of the body, said parts bein elongated in' the desired direction of sprea ing.

2. In a sanitary napkin, the combination of an absorptive pad member and a wrap er therefor of textile material said pad member comprising a plurality of superposed layers of crepe paper, a plurality of said layers being provided with transversely spaced, lontudinally extending areas in which said ayers are compressed to ether, said compressed areas having a 'gher de es of capillarity than the intermediate, re atively incompressed areas, and serving to accelerate the longitudinal spread of the area of absorption in said ad, from the point of application of the a sorbed fluid.

3. In a sanitary napkin, the combination 160,

of an absorptive pad member and a wrap r therefor of textile material, said pad mem r comprising a plurality of superposed layers of crepe paper, anintermediate series of said layers being provided with transversely m spaced, longitudinally extending areas in which said layers are compressed together, said compressed areas having a higher degree of capillarity than the intermediate incompressed areas, and serving to accelerate no the longitudinal spread of the area of absorption in said pad from the point of application of the absorbed fluid.

. 4. A pad. body for a sanitary napkin comprising a plurality of superposed layers of crepe paper, a plurality." of said superposed layers being more hlghly compressedtogether than the other layers, and said compressed series of intermediate layers being also. provided with a plurality oftransverselyspaced, longitudinally extending areas in which said layers are further compressed so as to form in said compressed series oflayers, a plurality of alternately arranged, 1on-. gitudinally extending areas in which there is a difi'erential capillary attraction, the areas of greatest attraction serving to accelerate the spread of the area of absorption longitudinally of the pad from the locus of application of the absorbed fluid.

5. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein said intermediate series of layers terminate short of the ends of the outer layers.

6. A device as defined in claim 4, wherein said intermediate series of layers terminate short of the ends of the outer layers.

7. A sanitary napkin which includes an elongated absorbent filler pad composed of fibrous absorbent material and which includes a plurality of co-planar interior spaced parts extending longitudinally ofthe elongated pad, said parts being relatively more compact than the remainder of the filler whereby fluid absorbed by the pad is caused to flow longitudinally of the pad from the point of application of fluid at an accelerated raterelative to flow in other directions in the pad.

WINIFRED C. HEITLEYER. 

